UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

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Petite Rue des Bouchers

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1903.213)
Number: 342
Date: 1887
Medium: etching
Size: 185 x 84 mm
Signed: butterfly at right
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 1
Catalogues: K.367; M.364
Impressions taken from this plate  (1)

PUBLICATION

Petite Rue des Bouchers was not published by a dealer, but is considered related to a 'Brussels Set'.

EXHIBITIONS

It was not exhibited during Whistler's lifetime. It was first exhibited by H. Wunderlich & Co. in New York - twice - in 1903 (Graphic with a link to impression #K3680102). 9

After Whistler's death, impressions were also shown at the principal Memorial shows, at the Grolier Club, New York, 1904 and the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London in 1905. 10

9: New York 1903 (cat. no. 149); New York 1903b (cat. no. 235).

10: New York 1904a (cat. no. 393); London Mem. 1905 (cat. no. 353).

SALES & COLLECTORS

One impression, described as 'Petite Rue des Bouchers, 1st state' was sold by Whistler in May 1888 to H. Wunderlich & Co. 11 It may have been the impression reproduced by Kennedy in 1910 (Graphic with a link to impression #K3670101).

H. Wunderlich & Co. sold an impression to Howard Mansfield (1849-1938) in 1895, which was returned to the dealers in exchange for another impression in 1903. Wunderlich's exhibited it at that time and sold it to Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), who bequeathed it to the Freer Gallery of Art in 1919 (Graphic with a link to impression #K3680102).

11: GUW #07158, H. Wunderlich stock book for 1888, a14414.

There are difficulties in following the history of this etching because of the similarity in title to Petite Rue au Beurre, Brussels [341] - that is, the English version of the street names, 'Butter' and 'Butcher', can be confused. Thus it is not certain that the 'Butcher Street - Brussels' sold to Messrs Dowdeswell by Whistler on 17 November 1888 is this etching. 12 Furthermore, it can be confused with Butcher's Shop, Sandwich, Kent [320], which does show a butcher's shop, while Petite Rue des Bouchers does not show any shops.

12: GUW #13028.